Nope. It would just get scammed eventually.

I also disagree with this. The only proper course I see was to say "oh shit" and send the money back. That is still the proper course right this second. The only way to make it die down is to handle it. Ignoring it won't work anymore. If there was a real story on the other side, just tell it. But even with an explanation this one will stick.

That is so true!!!

I am all for helping fellow Pinsiders out, but it is too early to undertake this right now. Let's see what happens first.

The only problem is that somebody got scammed, and then rather than him being out the money, we all chip in and now WE'RE out the money...and we didn't even have anything to do with it. Meanwhile, some thieving dickhead is sitting on a wad of cash he stole. How is that fair and/or solve anything? You have to go after the scumbag and hold them accountable. If people start chipping in to bail out victims, nothing changes and, in fact, it gets worse.

I certainly wasn't suggesting that the op not seek justice. That is the first course, and that is what should be pursued vigorously. On the other hand, I am quite willing to help others out who suffer an irremediable injustice.

Just like the banksters. And they got plenty of pols between them and us to make sure nothing happens.

Sucks.

I would rather be the one out of a 20 then the one out of $3800. Doesn't matter if it had anything to do with me or not. And yeah eventually the scam fund would get scammed but to save a few people the heartache of losing that one pin they were saving up for I'm all in. My days of being able to to throw out cash for new pins without thinking about it are over. Now I have to sell a bunch of stuff or save for a year or two to get a new game. If this happened to me for that amount I would be out for several years.

You logon like a man and douse the flames while Rome is burning, you don't wait for Rome to be burned to the ground before taking action and doing something.

Either he spent the money and doesn't have it at this time to repay you in which hopefully he will, or he might be stalling to hire representation for pending law actions be filed against him. Whatever it maybe it is what it is, however his silence is much louder then anything else said in this thread and his reputation on Pinside along with other pinball sites and forums took a major hit that will follow him for a lifetime. I hope it was worth it Kevscam........

Op I hope you do see your money returned without having to fork out any additional cash to get it back.

Go see the girls from Kokomo.....

We love to hear the other side to this story...

"You was always" is that Indiana english?

Just save all these texts. Isn't this what small claims court is for? The law will help you out here.

If I had to guess, he doesn't have the money to pay you back. Otherwise you'd have it already, weeks ago. If he does, whats the delay? Like oh I have some laundry to do, then I'm going to clean up some stuff in the yard, take a nap, play some pins, take the old lady out to eat, take a shit, and then if I have time I'll get back to you about the $3800 I hosed you out of. Please be patient, I'm very busy....

Kevin -- there is nothing to talk about.. just send the dude his money back. The OP is not a bank, but right now you're a thief :/

The fact that "Kevin" isn't telling it speaks volumes.

"We'll be speaking very, very soon..."
"...Like I said we'll be talking very soon."

Yikes! Sounds a little creepy/threatening IMHO
Good luck!

He has time to send texts that he'll be speaking soon, but can't find time to actually talk to the OP?

He sounds unstable to me. Just sayin'

Hope you get your $$ back.

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Oh hold on, there's a FOX NEWS ALERT. Guy in Ind...............................................

he's nuts man...be careful. Give him some time to get back to you 24 hours. But don't make it personal. Use the law to help you get your money back. I once had a guy sell me a fake Transformer toy for $800. PayPal was my savior. Mailed it back to him. You know what he did? He tore the toy into a million pieces, took a picture and told PayPal that's how I sent it to him. Good thing I took pictures of me packaging it up. Guy also threatened to come to my address and fight me. He knew he was ripping me off and blamed me and wanted to kick my ass. Lots of crazy mofos out there man. You can't just send people checks you don't know.

If I had scammed someone out of $3800, I would not use "you threatened my family, so you can't pay it back" as my defence.

Step 1: don't be a scammer
Step 2: If you are are a scammer, and IF someone is threatening your family... maybe that should be a wake-up call to revisit step 1?

I don't know, maybe I have a weird perspective on things...

I still hope this works out, and tossing around threats is not cool. I'd like to think I would be able to keep it simple such as "I hope you enjoy your time in jail... no need to threaten anything further than that hopefully.

Odd thing is Kevin hasn't posted anything on Pinside since the original ad for the game. Something is going on here.

Kevin logging on to clear this up in 3......2........1.........

** before anyone actually believes I know him....**

Guy is thief. Op is never getting his money back. Says he's going to give it back soon. Not soon, today Jr. Kevin in Indiana is low life. will have to remember the name.

Great arcade in Lafayette, IN called Main Street amusements and my personal collection is just 3 minutes from the arcade. Come on over.

Money is gone?

Pinballing is a bad hobby this year if you're named kevin.

This thief has no intention of giving you your money back. He's cowardly trying to turn it around and make you look bad just to obfuscate the real criminal act - him stealing your $3800. Oldest trick in the book, and I hope nobody falls for his transparent attempts to complicate a simple case of theft.

That's what I was thinking. Never once did he say, "you're crazy man. You got the game." No refuting, just deflecting.

I don't get the whole "we'll be talking soon" line, he's talking RIGHT NOW.

But he doesn't talk about when he's sending the money back, or even an apology from what I've seen.

Everytime someone says the name Kevin in this thread, this comes to mind...

kevin.jpg

That was in 2006!

OP, go to your courthouse, file in small claims...it costs a few hundred to file. Kevin, isn't going to show up, show the judge your texts, police reports, and image of the cashed check. It will take 5 min to get a default judgement. Then step 2 is to enforce the judgement. This will cost a few hundred more, but then you can garnish his wages (if he has a job), put a lein on his house (if he owns one). You will receive most of your money back less the costs to file your claim. And you never have to deal with his BS while you are setting up these remedies for payback.

He was pointing out Kevin's scam history.

Just got back in from doing yardwork.....this post is very sad.....Op...the longer you wait, the harder it will be.....I think if you know someone in the area some pm action is your only shot at this point ( Kevin is obviously reading these posts) and plan implemented yesterday....

Don't go to his house....he's already playing the " threat" card, and you just don't need the crap that comes with it if you show up.

He either doesn't have, or is not going to give you your money back.....this is beyond obvious ....good luck, and another bad scene for our hobby...man....this is just bullshit....

To me it sounds like he doesn't plan on giving you the money back, I've been strung along by thieves like this before. They just hope you forget about it, if you take them to court you can also sue for the filing fees. if it was me and I knew he has other games on location I'd just go take those and if he tries to sue you just counter sue for the $3,800 and travel costs and you will be square.

This guy is obviously not very smart.

First of all, does he believe anyone whose username is Dark Knight with a Spiderman avatar is going to walk away from injustice (post Uncle Ben), especially on a crime committed against himself? Shouldve have picked on MasterVictim123 instead.

Second, Nick can lift a pinball machine almost by himself.

Good luck Kevin.

How much you bench?

Zizzle?
Stern Pro?
WPC Superpin?
...or WoZ?

This is the VERY best thing said! I agree 100% , he is trying to use the "threats" as his excuse, he is the victim. It's a smoke screen, the money is gone and now he needs time to come up with it.

Kevin needs to pay up immediately! If he doesn't have the $, then he needs tell you when he will, or sell a pin or two to pay you back asap!

Skimmed this thread and first off...OP, I'm sorry you are out money without a machine and hope you get a refund soon. He has no right to keep your money since the machine is gone and paid for by someone else.

Some of the other stuff I'm reading though ranges from nonsense to scary. I'm not going to quote anybody as I don't want to make anything personal but rather help others who may be reading this. And I speak as someone who has been buying and selling pinballs for over 15 years and ripped off many times including a MM for $10k in IN that didn't exist.

You can call it a hobby, community...whatever you want to make it seem like the pinball world is a friendly and safe haven. But the fact of the matter is that these are (now more than ever) expensive machines that -- when traded online like at Pinside, Mr. Pinball, etc. -- are traded among strangers. Just because someone posts a lot on a forum or has other people posting about him doesn't make that person safe to deal with. We're talking about individuals who may share some common interests but could have personal issues with money, health, addictions, mental stability...any combination of those and more. And for whatever reason, if someone decides to keep your money, then what? Are you going to risk going to jail over physical threats or action? Are you going to sue them when they have no money to collect? Are you going to run their name through the mud when they can just leave their name behind (change/start another Pinside name, move on from pinball, legally change name, etc.)? And please don't fool yourself into believing that the police will resolve things for you. It doesn't work like that. The sad truth to these things is that those with the least to lose are more likely to screw you over. And sometimes you get what you pay for...especially when you're chasing deals that seem too good to be true.

That said, I don't have the answer for the best/safest way to buy a pinball machine. I'm clearly biased as I turned my "hobby" into a full-time business (thanks Uncle Sam) and would suggest buying from someone like me even though so many prefer to buy only from a "collector". Clearly there is a risk in sending anyone thousands of dollars...so do your homework, respect the nature of an internet transaction, buyer beware, etc.

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